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Turning to more traditionally recognized factions of nutritional know-how doesn’t always clear away any confusion either. The American Heart Association says, Limit your consumption of fats and cholesterol. The American Diabetes Association says, Eat regular meals so your blood sugar stays even. The American Cancer Society says, Eat more fiber! Doctrines vary so much, in fact, it’s difficult to know how to begin.

Rather than sitting in the middle of a room rocking back and forth helplessly, start to educate yourself! Start reading more than just the snippets of information gathered from the morning paper. Stockpiling limited bits of information is every bit as hazardous as not knowing anything at all! What’s more, postulating a personal theory, based on the hodge-podge stockpile of incomplete data (garnered from less-than-questionable sources), can end up causing you to make the wrong choices. And if you’re going to go to all the trouble of making uninformed choices, you may as well tuck into that plate of ham, and the mashed potatoes oozing butter, and know that you’re at least making an honestly tasty choice!

What I think the average person needs, is enough information to develop dietary guidelines. These don’t have to be steadfast unbreakable rules, they only need to guide you toward healthier eating. In fact, the best thing about dietary guidelines is the fact that you get to set them, based on your individual system! They should not only be reflective of foods that are good for you, they should also be reflective of foods that you actually enjoy eating. The main thing is to eat a variety of foods that you enjoy, so that you will avoid becoming sick of the foods you have chosen.

In choosing foods, think of them as tiny packets of nutrients. A citrus fruit contains Vitamin C, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, and both simple (sugar) and complex (fiber) carbohydrates. Choosing foods that complement one another in the area where the other lacks nutritionally, is a great way to think of putting together a healthy dietary plan. But never forget….the bottom line is food is just energy input, and nothing more. The fact that we happen to like the taste of it really is just a by-product.

Choose a diet that is full of vegetables, fruits, grains, and lean protein sources such as fish, poultry, and lean beef. The best way to do that is to shop along the perimeter of the store for the items you need. Coffee, tea, and some whole grains (oatmeal, brown rice, etc.) will  necessitate a  trip into the “inner aisles,” but most things on the inside aisles are packed full of additives, fat, empty calories such as sugar and white flower, and are generally considered processed foods, whereas the items found on the outer perimeters of the store aisles are natural whole foods.

Don’t forget fats! “FAT” seems a dirty word in this day and age, when it should be considered an invaluable macronutrient group encompassing a great many wholesome, good-for-you foods. The key to remaining lean while ingesting fats, however, is to eat fats that are monounsaturated, rather than saturated, and keeping your body healthy on the inside. Choose flax oil, canola oil, olive oil, walnuts, almonds, peanut butter, and seeds such as sunflower seeds or flax.

But beware! Nutritional standards recommend that no more than 30% of your diet should be comprised of fat. So rather than make it a math lesson at every meal, just remember that fat is twice as calorie-dense as a carbohydrate or protein gram (one fat gram = 9 calories) and therefore, should be eaten in a little less than  half the total gram number of proteins or carbohydrates in order to remain within the recommended guidelines. Make sure that, of the 30%, no more than 10% of that is saturated fat (fat from animal protein such as beef or poultry).

Choose a diet low in sugar as well. Sugar is an unsuspecting culprit. It seems like such an innocuous substance and one that certainly seems better to eat than fat. However, it’s better to err on the side of eating a bit too much fat one or two days, than eating an excess of sugar. Fat may be capable of aiding weight gain, but it can’t destroy the metabolic processes of the body irreparably like sugar can.

Sugar is a simple carbohydrate. Without being too confusing, it might merit mentioning that all things, except fat, turn into sugars of some sort (glucose) within the body before the body can benefit from its contents. However, a diet that is full of simple sugars sets the body up for a big fall in the end. Let’s say you eat a package of hard candy. The candy has no fat, just pure sugar which contains no fat to slow down the absorption of the sugar whatsoever. The sugar goes straight to your blood-stream, your blood sugar levels rise, and you immediately feel a rush from the sharp rise of energy. Sounds harmless enough. What then?

The pancreas reacts by producing a large quantity of insulin to aid in bringing the soaring blood sugar levels back down to a manageable level. But what ends up happening to the blood sugar is a sharp drop and decrease in blood sugar levels. You fatigue rapidly. Your energy feels drained, and you’re ready for a nap. But with all that insulin floating around in your system, the sugar calories you ingested have no choice but to be stored as energy (fat) for a later date. And thus, the cycle repeats itself each time an abundance of sugar is ingested!

Sugars are energy foods, but they are also high in calories. If you use them carelessly, they will not only cause an excess storage of body fat, they will also cause bacteria that rots out your teeth. Although sugars are found in fruit (fructose), these are natural sugars that the body has no trouble assimilating and using. It’s a safe bet that the majority of the sugar calories you end up eating, come from sources other than fruits.

Try to follow some sort of accepted nutritional guideline. The food pyramid is a good start, but remember, it isn’t for everyone; particularly if weight loss is the goal. In fact, in a few years, we may see that pyramid take another shape altogether, or at least lose the broadness of its base. Grains are a good source of complex carbohydrates, but the fact that most grains constitute starch in the diet isn’t good. Remember the blood sugar example? Well, ingesting too many complex carbohydrates can cause the body to hoard fat too, so watch the recommended servings. Eat 2-3 servings of whole grains per day, including at least one serving of oatmeal. Oatmeal is the only complex carbohydrate truly low in insulin-releasing potential.

The only other factor vital to our health, and well being, is water. Water is the life force of all we are as humans. We may be able to go without food for days on end, but likely would die if we tried to avoid water for longer than 7 days. Drinking at least 8 glasses of 10 oz. or more can keep our bodies incredibly healthy and full of vitality. If we’re lucky, it may also help keep our weight under control, as water is a great regulator of metabolism and the only way our bodies can get rid of certain waste products.

All in all, our days should be filled with healthful eating and some type of exercise. We need energy input and energy output, otherwise, the body will fall into a state of imbalance that will cause either too much fat to accumulate, or a loss of vital fat and lean tissue. That doesn’t mean the average person should go out and start running marathons to counterbalance the food he eats. In fact, a balanced level of energy output is better than a drastic one, because it subtly takes weight off, rather than ravaging the body through extreme exercise. But energy output should be balanced with caloric intake to create a kind of stasis between the two; where neither is overpowering.

Moderate exercise and moderate eating habits are the key to striking this balance. Even being mildly active increases the number of calories you can wolf down without gaining weight. The more strenuous the activity, the greater the caloric reprieve at the end of the day. Maintain a diet of natural, whole foods, and a regular program of exercise because both of these will provide you with the legacy of good health and well being.